The Police Registration and Services Board (PRSB) hosts a Community of Practice for Ethics Education (CoPEE), an important area of focus for Victoria Police. There are currently significant initiatives in police ethics education in a range of areas, including foundation training, promotion, leadership, gender equality and professional standards. There is a great deal of effective work being done and a wealth of valuable experience spread throughout Victoria Police. In discussions with key stakeholders a forum where knowledge and experience can be shared has been identified as valuable and garnered enthusiastic support.

The community brings together practitioners who are planning, designing or delivering ethics education, in-person, online or in the broader day to day work context. Together, we are developing a network to support ethics education, professional standards and continuing professional development through peer-to-peer engagement, expert speakers and other initiatives.

The CoPEE is hosted by the PRSB Professional Standards Division (External link), which focuses on professional and ethical standards, continuing education and professional development, and moderated by the newly appointed PRSB Deputy President Dr Eva Tsahuridu.

As a group, the CoPEE has decided the initial focus of its work will include:

  • Understanding and mapping ethics training in Victoria Police, including how different training offerings build on each
  • Assessing and improving the impact of ethics training offerings
  • What infrastructure (including but not limited to training) do we need to develop to develop an ethical culture that is likely to lead to ethical behaviour
  • Ways to minimise the disconnect between how members are trained to behave and what happens in an operational environment.
  • How to integrate various ethics decision making frameworks 

Activities

The CoPEE meets every two months in person, on-line or using a hybrid model.

Members completed a survey to provide information about the ethics training offerings they are involved with. This has been mapped, and a comprehensive document, describing ethics training for each rank has been developed. The map is of all formal, organisation-wide ethics training. We are currently investigating local and informal ethics training.

At each meeting one Unit provides a short presentation on their work. This deepens the understanding held by the CoPEE, and helps break down organisational silos.

We have established an internal Victoria Police Community of Practice for Ethics Education Yammer (External link) group to share ethics inspiration and a Teams group to enable communication and cooperation between members.

If you are would like to learn more or would like to join the Community please contact Senior Project and Policy Officer Sharon Weiss on sharon.weiss@prsb.vic.gov.au (External link).